Three Leaders Tapped to Enhance Women’s Leadership Institute of Baltimore at Notre Dame

BALTIMORE – Three leaders with a wealth of experience in women’s empowerment and gender equity programming have joined the Women’s Leadership Institute of Baltimore (WLIB), Notre Dame of Maryland University’s initiative to promote women’s advancement. WLIB also produces the Women of the World (WOW) Baltimore Festival, part of a global movement to celebrate women and girls as forces for positive change.

Damita McDonald was named the WLIB coordinator, while she continues to serve as the University’s senior director for university communications & public relations. In addition to having a strong background in higher education communications and marketing, McDonald came to Notre Dame in June 2021 with experience working at nonprofit organizations, coordinating public awareness events, managing volunteers, and organizing community outreach campaigns.

Dr. Jeannine Heynes, Notre Dame’s director for student engagement & community programs, was named the WLIB Leadership Fellow. In that role, she supports gender equity programming for the University community, and she will additionally launch a student mentoring program. Since coming to Notre Dame in October 2022, Heynes has been instrumental in promoting programming for student involvement, learning opportunities, and professional growth. She has more than a decade of experience leading gender equity programming at several colleges and universities, and she has taught multiple courses on gender and women studies. Heynes holds a Ph.D. in women and gender studies from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.

Maricka Oglesby, formerly the inaugural WLIB director, has returned to Notre Dame as an outside consultant and as the producer of the Women of the World (WOW) Baltimore Festival. She is coordinating the University’s next WOW Baltimore Festival, set for April 5, 2025. As inaugural WLIB director, Oglesby not only led programming for WLIB, but she also gained expertise in producing Notre Dame’s two successful WOW Baltimore festivals. Before becoming the WOW producer, Oglesby worked for Notre Dame for more than a decade, gaining experience in administrative oversight in fundraising, donor events, and volunteer management.

WLIB was founded by Notre Dame of Maryland University in 2018 with a “mission to promote the advancement of women,” said Dr. Marylou Yam, Notre Dame’s president. Its purpose is to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of outstanding women in the Baltimore region and beyond, to offer leadership development programming, and to convene discussions on issues of gender equality.

Established in 1895, Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) is a private, Catholic institution in Baltimore, Maryland, with the mission to educate leaders to transform the world. Notre Dame has been named one of the best "Regional Universities North" by U.S. News & World Report.